History of World Art II: Day 6 - The Bayeux Tapestry

One thing I encountered that I found very interesting during the last week, was how art and sculpture took huge leaps backwards after the fall of the Roman Empire. It is my impression that the newness and piousness of the new religion of Christianity - which was considered a cult until 380 when it became the official state religion of the Empire - severely effected the art of the times. The beauty of classic Greek and Roman sculptures, paintings, and friezes are replaced by crude and block-y representations of people and animals. The ruling religion and political structure determine the art that a cultures values and it seems as though it takes a very long time to get back to beauty in a classical sense.

This is not to say that I cannot enjoy or appreciate the art that comes out of the Romanesque and Gothic periods. I especially enjoyed seeing the Bayeux Tapestry, which is done in the tradition of Roman and Greek style reminiscent of their paintings found on pottery, etc., but also reminds me of Medievil illuminations. It is over 200 feet (70 meters) long and depicts the story of William the Conqueror and Harold, Earl of Wessex who led the Norman and Saxon armies in the Battle of Hastings in 1066; William the Conqueror, from Normandy, felt he was the rightful heir to King Edward the Confessor thrown and felt Harold was a usurper. The tapestry illustrates: Harold traveling to Normandy, getting captured, then released, Edward's death, Harold's crowning, William's voyage, the Battle of Hastings, and although the last panel is missing William being crowned King. There is also a lot going on in the borders... with side stories, etc. The tapestry is believed to have been commissioned in the 1070's by Odo Bishop of Bayeux, William the Conqueror's brother who William made Bishop when he was a Duke. The original is in Bayeux, France. In the late 1800's, 35 women of the Leek Embroidery Society worked under the direction of Elizabeth Wardle (who came up with the idea) embroidered a full reproduction so that "England could have a copy of their own." Some historians believe it was embroidered in Kent, England. (reference: http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/BayeuxInfo.htm.)